Climbing The Walls
by jmalfoy
Summary: Hermione's depression after a failed relationship takes a drastic turn when Draco Malfoy decides to interfere. Short Story!
1. Chapter 1

Discalimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. Plus, I don't own The Backstreet Boys' song lyrics "Climbing the Walls" located before and after the fic.

……………………………………

**Climbing The Walls**

……………………………………

_Close Your Eyes, Make A Wish_

_That this could last forever_

_If only you could stay with me now_

_So tell me what it is_

_That keeps us from each other now_

_Yeah, it's coming to get me_

_You're under my skin_

……………………………………

CRACK!

"What the fu—" Pale eyes flew open at the sharp sound of someone apparating into his flat.

"Did we wake you from your beauty sleep?" Ron Weasley asked with a smirk.

Gray eyes glared at the two intruders in his home who happened to be holding a very drunk witch between them, who looked as if she had passed out.

"Drunk again?" Draco snapped.

"Right on schedule," Harry Potter said tiredly. "Get off the couch will you, Malfoy? We need to put her down."

Draco scowled. "There are other couches here, in case you haven't noticed."

"Yeah, but this is the biggest one and you know how Hermione is. She'll probably roll off of a smaller one," replied Ron impatiently.

The ex-Slytherin sighed and moved off the couch, looking at the clock. Damn; he'd been asleep for two hours and it was barely midnight. "Where has she been?" he asked as Potter and the Weasel set her down gently.

Potter pushed back Hermione's hair from her face as she slept off the alcohol. "In a muggle pub near here. She was getting picked up by this bloke who oddly enough looked like Krum," Harry said.

"This is getting ridiculous; she needs to see a shrink!" Draco ranted. Harry and Ron looked at him with raised brows. "What?" Draco snapped. "I live with a muggle-born roommate; I pick up things from her and the TV."

Ron ignored his comment. "It's been a bloody year already, why isn't she over him?" he exasperated.

"Tomorrow is the 'anniversary' of you know what with you know who. Seeing the calendar was going to remind her that it's been a year since that sod broke her heart," Harry said darkly.

"I checked on her today in the morning and she told me that she was fine. She even looked okay, too," said Draco.

"Yeah, and she promised us that she wouldn't get drunk… I mean, I'd worry if she was an alcoholic who drank every day, but still, getting drunk on one specific day every single month is a tad creepier. It makes me wonder if Mione isn't off her rocker," Ron said as he sat down and ran a hand through his hair.

"We have to do something about this. We can't let her keep on this destructive path, because the more time that passes, the worse this will get, no matter what Hermione says," Harry said critically.

Draco sighed and mulled things over for a few minutes. A little more than two years ago, he and Hermione had moved into a shared flat. She had wanted to get her own independence in the wizarding world, and Draco had been disowned for turning away from his father's cause. Good old Lucius could rot with his own bloody money for all Draco cared. Though he did feel sorry for his mother, who had practically begged Lucius to take him back.

Besides, his grandparents on his mother's side had left him a hefty amount in a Gringott's vault that would last him two lifetimes; not nearly as much as his father's fortune, but enough that it didn't have to matter what job he got as long as he was happy with it.

Granger had been suspicious when he had asked her if she wanted to share his flat—he had overheard the Weasel and Potty talking about her looking for a place to stay that was near their own flat, but not with them—so he had had a long conversation with her, and she had agreed.

Their living arrangements were cozy and they only interacted with each other when they wanted to. Draco liked silence and solitude, and so did Hermione, though she insisted on inviting Potter and Weasley to have dinner with them once a week.

Two years ago, she had been seeing Krum again, and their relationship had made it to the engagement stage, but something had happened—and to this day, Draco didn't know what—and Hermione had broken it off with Krum just a few months shy of the wedding day.

He had seen her slowly walk the path of self-destruction. There were days darker than others for Hermione. On every monthly anniversary of her break-up with Krum, she would get pissed drunk, call her fuck buddy, wake up with a hangover, and then sink into a depression that lasted from a day to more than a week.

She worked a job in an apothecary because she refused to have anything to do with the Ministry of Magic. They had offered her the spot of Minister of Magic, and she had turned it down. Having a place like that in their society would've put too many burdens on her shoulders, and there was still the random family who believed that muggleborns had no place in their society. So she worked where she wanted, just like Draco did.

Putting aside all these thoughts, an idea was born in Draco's mind. "I have something in mind, but I can't execute it unless you two help me," he said patiently. He anticipated the Weasel's mistrust.

"It depends on what you want to do to Hermione," Ron said.

The other man nodded but offered no hindrance. "This better be good," Harry said, and judging by the look on Draco's face, he knew it would be. "What's on your mind?" he asked with interest.

………………………

Hermione groaned and kept her eyes closed, willing the pounding in her head to go away. Behind her lids, the light was bright enough to make her squint with a pained groan.

"I was beginning to wonder if you would sleep the day and night straight," said a familiar voice from nearby.

"Close the curtain, will you?" she asked softly, her throat was dry and she felt dehydrated.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," said Draco.

"What? Why not?" Hermione snapped, regretting it immediately when the pounding intensified. She felt the tip of Draco's wand at her temple and an immense relief went though her as the headache lessened exponentially.

"If I close the curtain, then you won't enjoy the view, and I didn't bring you here so that you could spend the week sleeping off your hangover," Draco whispered. He knew from experience how brutal hangovers were.

"What view?" she grumbled, still not catching on to what Draco was saying, she was still focused on the rhythmic conga pounding in her head. If she concentrated enough, she could hear a dancing rhythm, but even thinking hurt her head. "You mean the ruddy old man that lives in the flat across ours? Believe me when I say that him flashing us is nothing I want to open my eyes to."

Draco chuckled softly and handed her a cup of coffee as she rubbed her eyes and sat up. She took the mug and sighed heavily before looking up. When she did, she nearly dropped the hot coffee in her lap.

"Where—where are we?" she asked as she stood on wobbly legs and slowly made it towards the sliding door.

"We are in Oahu, where we will be staying for the rest of the week, and if you'd like, we can stay for more than a week," said Draco with a shrug as he walked over to stand beside her. He slid the door open and let the cool sea breeze in.

"You mean we're near Hawaii?" Hermione asked with wide eyes. Draco nodded and smirked at the look on her face. They were inside a rented beach house that was located incredibly close to the crystalline waters of the ocean. The sandy shores seemed to stretch on and on, and from where she stood; Hermione could see a few couples walking down the beach.

The view was breathtaking. "As beautiful as this is, Draco, I can't stay. I have a job I'm supposed to be in right now and I'm so not feeling up to this," Hermione said as she shielded her eyes from the sun's flare off of the water's clear surface.

"So you think throwing yourself into your job and sulking over Krum at every spare moment is better than this?" he asked with an angry scowl on his face.

Hermione sighed and turned away from the view, walking deeper into the small, yet luxurious property. "It's all I have," she muttered to herself, thinking that Draco wouldn't hear her.

"Oh yes, and let's not forget having Snape riding your ass because of his precious apothecary, and not to mention your pity fuck with Zabini the day after you get drunk once a month," Draco snarled as he followed her.

Hermione's shoulders tensed in anger before she whirled around to face him. "I didn't ask for your damned opinion Draco! What I do or don't do with my life is none of your business!" she yelled, angry tears welling in her eyes. "If I want to fuck Zabini once a month then it's _my_ problem, not yours! I didn't ask you to interfere!"

"Well somebody had to!" he yelled back. "Can't you see that you're destroying yourself! Get over him, this isn't you!"

Hermione's eyes went cold. "You don't know me enough to say that. You think that two years of living together entitles you to make decisions and demands of me? I don't think so. But don't you think, Draco Malfoy, that I have tried to get over this? He hurt me, and I have tried so many times to not let this get to me, but it has! I don't have the capacity to be strong anymore," she cried before the tears finally came.

Draco just kept quiet, not really knowing what to say. He had seen her angry, irritated, and had only seen her cry once. He wasn't good with crying women. But maybe this was what she needed. She couldn't keep her feelings bottled up inside anymore; it was making her hurt and was destroying her sanity.

She sat down in a chair made of bamboo that was hanging from the ceiling and began to sway there slowly. Draco stopped the seat and kneeled in front of her, noticing the broken look in her eyes. What the hell had Krum done to her to have forced such repercussions?

"Look, I don't want to tell you how to live your life or how to behave, but this is getting out of hand. Can't you see that you're not okay? Getting drunk and falling into these depressions is destroying you, and after two years of learning about you and the way you are, I believe that it's my duty to help you out of this. We _are_ friends after all, aren't we?" he asked with a small smile.

Hermione shuddered slightly from her crying and then nodded with a hiccup. She leaned forward and almost hesitantly wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. Draco sighed and gave her this; she needed the reassurance that he was there for her. A small sob wracked her slim form and Draco stood, pulling her out of the seat. He then sat down and pulled her onto his lap. He just hoped that the bloody swing type of seat would hold their weight.

"Why haven't you done this with Potter and Weasley?" Draco asked as he ran his hand down her back as the other clasped her own.

"Because they have their own lives, they don't need me putting more burdens on their shoulders," she said with a hiccup, hear head buried against his neck.

"And you think that them finding you drunk at a pub isn't a burden? They worry about you, Granger," he said impatiently, "we all do." Draco frowned when he felt a hot wetness on his shoulder from her fresh batch of tears.

"I'm sorry," she whispered softly. "This isn't like me. I let _him_ destroy me and I forgot that I have always been strong. I shouldn't have let myself become so vulnerable," she said as she sat straight and gazed into Draco's calm eyes. "Thank you," she said steadily.

"For what?" asked Draco in a soft, flat tone.

"For interfering. It's kind of like what families of a serious alcoholic do to the person in denial. I can admit that I have a problem," she said softly.

"You mean like an intervention," he said smartly.

Hermione smiled. "Now how would you know about interventions?"

"I keep up with that American muggle cartoon show, _The Simpsons_," he said with a grin.

This brought a laugh from Hermione before she leaned over and hugged Draco again. "I'm sorry if the whole hugging business is irritating to you, but I really need this," she said.

Actually, it wasn't all that unpleasant, Draco mused. He hadn't exactly been born into a family of lovey-dovey and hugging type of people. Having Hermione's sweet smelling and warm body pressed up against his wasn't a bad thing. So he didn't reply to her comment, instead he just held her for as long as she needed it.

"What time is it?" she finally asked a long while later.

Draco looked at the wall clock and his eyes widened. "It's twelve in the afternoon," he said. "You need to get something to eat because we have somewhere to be in an hour."

Hermione moved off of him and stood, allowing him to do the same. "We do? Where?"

"Ever heard of the phrase _'curiosity killed the cat?'_" he asked with a meaningful smirk.

She just gave him a cool look. "There's no need to be so rude about it… But you know, I'm not really hungry. My stomach is still suffering from yesterday's stupidity," she said with a frown.

"Take some fruit then, but we have to get ready to go," said Draco as he walked into his own bedroom, which was across from hers.

"I didn't bring any clothes!" Hermione said as she followed him.

"There are some things in your closet that I got you from the store in the nearest hotel, if you'd like, we can buy new things after our little trip," Draco replied before shutting the door.

Hermione sighed and walked into her room, shutting the door and walking to the closet to see what it was that Draco had brought along for her. She scowled lightly when she found a pair of white short shorts, a tropical themed halter-top and some sandals. He was lucky that he had put her into a good mood, especially after a hangover of that magnitude, or else she would've chewed his head off about the amount of skin the shirt was showing off.

She showered quickly, dressed and fixed the wild curls of her long hair. She had cut it once, because Viktor had told her that he liked it short, but after their break-up, she had grown it long and hadn't cut it once in the past year, save only for the tips. Now the curls reached the small of her back. Draco had once commented that he liked her hair long, and that memory brought a smile to her face. It was ironic that the man who had made so much fun of her as children and teens for her frizzy hair, had said that he liked it long.

Her hair wasn't the same ball of frizz from her youth, but it was still rebellious sometimes. She looked herself in the mirror and smiled. Not too shabby. Though she wasn't a bombshell of a woman, she was pretty in a simple kind of way. She pulled her hair into a low side-ways ponytail and put on the sandals. There was a knock at her door and she opened it to reveal a very handsome and serene looking wizard in muggle clothing.

Draco was wearing a pair of white cotton slacks and a matching white shirt that looked breezy and cool for the climate. His hair wasn't all that longer than it had been in school, but the only difference was that it was no longer slicked back and greasy. He was eyeing her appreciatively as she stepped out.

"Who chose these clothes for me?" she asked him, eyes narrowed slightly.

"I asked the lady at the shop to help me pick out something fresh for a friend of mine," he replied as he motioned if they could leave.

Hermione nodded and smiled. "Are we walking?" she asked.

"Yes, because the place is near here," he said as he guided her out through the sliding door of the living room and down towards the beach.

"This is beautiful," she commented as she took off her sandals so that she could walk through the warm water. "What did you tell Snape when you told him that I was abandoning the apothecary for about two weeks?" she asked with a grin.

"Nothing. I just sent him an owl, telling him that you and I were on a business trip. Nothing more, nothing less," Draco said as they walked a moderate distance until they made it to a huge hotel and a port where there were boats and people waiting.

"Where are we going?" she asked again, seeing that the people were filing to get into one of the medium sized boats.

"We're going to take a tour around the historical places located here. More importantly, Pearl Harbor," Draco said with a grin as her eyes widened. He knew Hermione more than she thought, and he had learned that she loved history.

"Oh my sweet Merlin, are you serious?" Hermione asked excitedly. "I can't believe it! You're _really _serious?" she asked again.

"Very. Now come on, before they leave us," he said as he pulled out their tickets and they boarded the boat. Draco realized it then and couldn't deny it.

He would give anything to keep that ecstatic smile on her face. If he ever saw Krum again, the fool would rue the day he screwed with Hermione Granger.

…………………………………

Draco's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched their tour guide stare at Hermione openly. He was a native young man, around their age and Draco could tell by the look on Hermione's face that she had noticed him watching her.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her attention from the exhibit that the man had just finished explaining. After the Pearl Harbor tour, Draco had taken Hermione out to lunch and they were now enjoying the arts of the Contemporary Museum.

"Have you enjoyed our trip so far?" Draco asked Hermione as they began to separate from the crowd.

Hermione eyed the long fingered hand on her waist and then looked at him. "I've loved everything so far," she said with a smile. "Are we going anywhere next?"

Draco shrugged. "We can either go back to the beach house and then go out tonight, or we can do more sightseeing. It's up to you, though you have to remember that we have the rest of the week. We can also go down to the beach and relax for a bit until evening comes."

She nodded and wrapped her arm around Draco's waist when a young tourist girl stood next to them and eyed Draco instead of the exhibit. Hermione rolled her eyes and looked at the girl darkly. Not taking her eyes off her she said, "Yes, let's go back to the beach house and spend the rest of the afternoon at the beach."

Draco smiled slowly and looked down at Hermione as they walked out of the museum, arms wrapped around each other. "I didn't know you were the jealous type, Granger."

"I didn't know you were either," Hermione replied aloofly.

"Jealous and possessive," Draco murmured his fingers caressing her hip. "Two of my best qualities." His eyes ran down the front of her in and assessing manner.

Hermione released him abruptly and flushed, a brilliant pink stinging her cheeks. "Let's go," she muttered, hoping against hope that she was wrong and Draco Malfoy had not just made a pass at her.

………………………………………………

"Oh, look at that!" Hermione exclaimed. Night had fallen and she and Draco had just arrived at a Luau.

Draco's eyes were a tad wide as he looked around at the native festivities. There were women dancing in straw skirts, and men with face paint covering their faces in odd designs. There were three long tables, reminiscent of their Hogwarts years, and tons of food being served for the guests. It was a bit overwhelming for a pureblooded wizard who had had very little contact with the muggle world from the moment he had been born. Even worse after all the things his father had drilled into his head about their supremacy over muggles and muggle-born magic folk.

Hermione saw the look on his face and smiled. "You told me that it was up to me where we were going to have dinner. This is absolutely spectacular, and the pictures I saw on the brochure were very alluring," she said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him along towards the very edge of the first table where there were some empty seats.

A beautiful native woman in a coconut bra and a straw skirt approached them and placed a necklace of fresh island flowers around her neck and Draco's. "Welcome to our Luau. We hope you enjoy your time here, would you like anything to drink?"

"I'll have a soda," Hermione said, she didn't want to ruin the good time she was having with Draco. She noticed the look on his face and smiled. "No alcohol," she muttered.

Draco nodded and smiled, an honest smile. "Then I'll have the same," he said to the woman.

"I'll be right back," the "waitress" said before moving on to get other people's drink orders.

"Newlyweds?" asked a woman who was sitting with a man to their left.

Draco and Hermione looked at each other and then at the woman and her husband. Hermione started to shake her head, but Draco grabbed her hand and smiled smugly as he replied, "Yes, we are."

"Draco," Hermione hissed softly.

"Now darling, don't blush. You have to get used to the fact that we're married," he said, his eyes glittering merrily.

It wasn't often that Hermione saw that look of being young and carefree on his face so she decided to play along. She smiled when the woman gushed. "Oh, young love!" she sighed. "I'm Alice, and this is my husband Adar. We're on our second honeymoon, away from our kids."

Hermione grinned. "How many kids do you have?" she asked, slowly withdrawing her hand from Draco's. This little game could get fun. The lady returned with their drinks and she popped a straw into her and Draco's drink.

"We have four. The youngest is four, then a ten year old, a fourteen year old, and the oldest is eighteen. I love them to death, but sometimes they destroy my nerves, so Adar and I decided we needed a breather… Are you two planning on having kids?"

"No," Draco said flatly.

"Yes," said Hermione at the same time. They looked at each other and the other couple smiled. "Now Draco sweetie," Hermione started silkily, "I told you that your fear of being a father is completely irrational," she said with a smirk, taking a sip of her soda. "I'm sure you'll be a wonderful daddy."

"Well, in that case why don't we have five?" Draco asked maliciously.

Hermione choked on her drink, a coughing fit overtaking her as she tried to get in some air. Draco hit her back gently to help. "Five?" she muttered. Draco smiled evilly and nodded.

"Oh, your kids will be beautiful!" Alice said with a wide smile. "With his hair and your eyes!"

Hermione choked, but this time on a giggle at the expression on Draco's face. "I still think that we're too young for children. We're barely twenty-one."

"A tad young, aren't you?" asked Adar. "How did you two meet?"

Hermione gave Draco a cool look and smiled. "We met in boarding school," she said.

"Childhood sweethearts?" Alice asked.

The brown-haired witch laughed and shook her head. "God, no! We absolutely hated each other! He was a bully and I was a brainiac. He was just jealous that my grades were better than his, so he took it out on me with jeers and taunts. More than often, insults too."

"You know, most people would say that he bothered you because he liked you," Adar said as he took a drink from a coconut.

"Believe me, I did not. Though I could tell that she had some underlying feeling for me by the way she stared at me during class," said Draco smugly. "She just always hid it behind a sneer and her books."

Hermione scoffed but laughed along with the other couple. "You wish, baby. You were the most obnoxious little sod I had ever met!"

"You can feel the passion and tension emanating in waves," Alice stage-whispered to her husband, who only nodded in agreement.

"I think not," Hermione said with a blush, taking another, more careful, sip of her soda.

"You see love, they agree that there _is_ something between us," Draco whispered against her ear, delighting in the way she shivered against him.

Hermione just sighed and continued to sip from her drink, hoping that she wouldn't make a fool of herself and choke on the soda again. Their attention was called towards the stage that was at the head of all the tables and a ceremony began. It was part of the Island's tradition, to make a ceremony before they unearthed their main course.

The performers danced a beautiful native dance with a lot of fire and gymnastics that Hermione had never seen in her life. But it was wonderful and it was something she would remember for the rest of her life.

Draco for his part kept half of his attention on the show, and the other half on Hermione. She looked beautiful with the fire's light reflecting on her face. There was just something about her that made his stomach flutter with butterflies. It was such a girly notion, that he wanted to gag. But he was glad that she was happy and that not once today had she mentioned Krum or thought about getting drunk again. Today was after all, the one-year anniversary of their break-up.

There was a smile on her face and she hadn't thought of drinking an ounce of alcohol. He would never admit it to her or to anyone but himself, but he had enjoyed the way she had played along their relationship with those strangers. He would give anything to make it come true. He had no doubt that Hermione would make a wonderful wife and mother. Especially if she was _his_ wife and the mother of _his_ children.

Unconsciously, her hand drifted over to lay over his and her fingers closed around his gently as she continued to watch the show. He wasn't exactly sure how long ago these feelings had started, but they hadn't been there for too long.

She was right, he had hated her with a passion during their years at Hogwarts, the way she out did him in everything pertaining to their studies, how she would ignore his insults and act as if he were nothing more than a nasty little cockroach. But he outgrew his immature phase, especially after his father had been sent to prison.

Those months while his father was gone, and he had been able to breathe in peace, he had realized that he didn't want to follow his father's path. He wanted to think for himself.

"……… go hula dancing?"

Draco blinked. "What?" he asked, having heard only part of her question.

"I was asking if you would dare to go hula dancing up there, on the stage," Hermione said with a grin.

Draco gave her a dry look. "Do I look like Weasley? Do I look as if I want to act like an idiot?"

Hermione slapped his shoulder. "Ron is not an idiot, Malfoy," she snapped quietly.

"Now, now, love. I think we have gone past the whole calling each other by our last names bit. Remember, we're married now," he said with a chuckle. Hermione merely sighed with a roll of her eyes and began to eat their food.

The feast was delicious and they had a good time with the show and the variety of food. Draco for his part spent the night just watching Hermione eat and continue to speak with Alice in a hushed tone, blushing now and then.

The night had gotten darker and more torches had been lit around them, and most of the guests were leaving. "We should go," Draco said as he placed his napkin on the table and stood.

Hermione didn't argue, she was stuffed and wanted nothing more than to go back to her room and lazy around. She said her goodbyes to her new friends. "We hope you two are happy. I can tell that what is between you will last," Alice said with a grin.

Hermione nodded and shifted uncomfortably when she saw the look on Draco's face. He didn't look bothered in the least about the woman's comment. "It was nice meeting you. We hope you have a great second honeymoon," she said before walking away with Draco.

They walked on the shore in companionable silence for a long while, enjoying the cool breeze and Hermione the warm water. "It wasn't too bad, being married to each other, was it?" she asked softly.

Draco chuckled and nodded. "I bet that was one fantasy you will be crossing off of your list: _Things To Do Before I turn 30._"

Hermione snorted. "What? You think being fake married to you for an hour is something I have wanted to do?" she asked snarkily. "You wish, baby." She kicked water at him and laughed when he jumped away as if she had kicked a boiling cauldron at him.

"Hey, watch the hair!" he said darkly. Hermione laughed and picked up a glob of wet sand. "Don't you dare, Granger!"

Hermione's eyes narrowed slightly, an impish smile on her face. She then hauled back and threw the stuff at Draco, watching sadistically as it smacked him on the jaw and neck before trailing down into his shirt. Then she took off running, not wanting to know what Draco's retaliation would be.

"You'll pay for that, Hermione Granger!" Draco yelled before taking off after her.

She looked back and shrieked with laughter, trying to speed up and not trip, as he closed in on her. They ran down the length of the beach, though Hermione's advantage was that she was slimmer and smaller than Draco, giving her more mobility. But Draco had longer legs, and was in better shape for a run because he kept up with his Quidditch training.

He reached out and his fingers brushed her elbow, but she slipped from his grip and bolted down the shore, deeper in the water. "Come and get me Drakie-poo," she said in a baby voice. Draco scowled as she snorted with laughter over Pansy's childhood pet name for him. "But that would entail you getting your 'perfect' feet wet with this filthy ocean water," she mocked playfully.

Then there was the sound of an explosion, but of fireworks, about a mile away. The spectacularly loud show was enough to divert Hermione's attention so that Draco could pounce. He took them both down into the water just as a wave fell on them, and they both came up sputtering and completely soaked.

"Draco!" she yelled, her long hair plastered to her face.

"Hermione!" he yelled back, mimicking her, but a grin was sliding over his lips. She laughed and splashed water at him as the fireworks continued off to their left. When she turned back to look at him, she noticed how close they actually were sitting to each other in the water.

Draco watched her as she bit her bottom lip nervously, and before he could get his brain to respond, his body was already leaning towards her, closing the small distance. Her eyes were wide as she watched him, but then they slid closed at the touch of his lips, her own parting under his touch.

He reached around her and pressed her head harder to him, making the kiss deeper and a tad forceful, but he had waited so long for this, and he wanted it with near desperation. Though he wouldn't admit that to anyone. She responded in kind, after getting over her shock, but she wrapped her arm around his neck and forced him back to lie on the sand as she took over. Draco wouldn't have that though.

He grunted as he rolled them over so that he was on top, but Hermione wasn't about to let him have the control again. Draco's hands moved away from her back and settled on the exposed, wet skin of her waist as she rolled them again and straddled him, using the sand to dig her hands and knees into it for leverage before she pulled away. From his position down in the sand, he could see the moon's light reflecting the flush on her wet skin.

"What was that about?" she asked softly, pushing her hair away from her face.

Draco just looked at her for a long moment. "Something we both needed."

"I've seen you date countless of women these past two years, but you've never been with one more than twice. None of them were special to you? Is there no one that you want?" she asked softly.

Draco smoothed his hands up and down her waist gently. "I think I've found someone, but I don't know if she's realized what I feel," he replied, just as softly. The waves continued to lap at them as Hermione sat dumbfounded. No, she was sure that she wasn't imagining things anymore. Draco Malfoy was hitting on her.

"Draco… I don't know what to say," she said as she moved off of him and sat to his left.

"You don't need to say anything. I understand all you have been through. But remember, Hermione, I'm not Krum. Though I can't promise that you will never hurt again, I _can _promise that I will do my damned best to make you happy," he said before standing and offering her a hand.

Hermione hesitated, but then took it. She looked up at him and smiled slightly. "You're already making me happy," she murmured.

Draco offered her a small smile and took her hand. He looked around to see if the coast was clear, and then apparated them back to the beach house. Hermione then noticed the withdrawn look on his face and frowned, placing a hand on his arm.

"Draco—"

"You don't have to say anything. I know it's too soon for you," he said flatly.

Hermione parted her lips as she shook her head, but Draco touched her cheek, and shook his own head before walking away, leaving Hermione rooted to the spot, wondering what had just happened.

She felt helplessness invade her again and felt like crying. But no. She was tired of being helpless, of hurting and hurting herself by doing stupid things. Viktor was probably happy with someone else, and here she was, a year later and still moping and grieving over their failed relationship.

She hadn't gone on a single date since then and had turned down every single suitor who had asked her to dinner, or lunch, or a drink. Draco had been there with her through it all. He had taken care of her hangovers when she got drunk, was always quiet when he saw her owl Blaise. Sometimes he said nothing, other times he exploded and nagged her until she wondered if he had learned from her father.

He was the only person who understood what she was going through and had tried to really bring her out of it. Ron and Harry had tried, but they just hadn't known how to approach the subject with her. She had seen them try and fail so many times that it was amusing. But Draco, he had been there so much that he _did_ have a right to pry.

She just wasn't going to tell him that. Merlin knew that Draco's ego didn't need anymore inflating. She wondered how much of his pride it had cost him to say those words to her after their kiss. Draco was a man of pride, one who had never taken rejection well, mostly because he didn't get rejected often in his pureblooded life.

And that was how Hermione found herself standing in front of Draco's door. She knocked twice and waited for him to answer. For a moment she wondered if he would ignore her, but then the door opened to reveal Draco in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.

There were droplets of water on his chest and his hair was pasty with shampoo. He gave her an annoyed look and made a motion with his hand when she just stood there staring.

"Um… I… er… You left without allowing me to say something," she said finally, forcing her eyes to stay on his and not wander over all the exposed, pale and smooth flesh laid out before her eyes.

"Well?" he asked impatiently.

Hermione noted that he smelled faintly of fruit and clean water. While she smelled like the ocean and she had sand in very uncomfortable places. Though they were as different as seawater and fresh water, they also had many things in common. Sometimes bad things, but at least they were somewhat compatible.

They were both headstrong, explosive, refused to give up, always wanted to be right, smart, egotistical, and sarcastic. He was everything she was. Everything a man needed to be to put up with her. Maybe that would be enough.

Hermione worked up her courage and took a deep breath. She then closed the distance between them and pulled him down for a kiss. She tasted his mouth thoroughly and pulled away before Draco even had a chance to react.

"I'm going to consider what you said, Draco. Just give me some time to think. Goodnight," she said, before turning and walking into her room, shutting her door and leaving a very dumbfounded Draco behind.

Once he jump-started his brain again, he realized that he would need a cold shower now, and that he wouldn't be able to sleep the entire night, thanks to her words and her kiss.

…………………………

_A Few Days Later……_

"It's been a good week," Hermione mused as she walked hand in hand with Draco through the shops located inside one of the major hotels on the island of Oahu. It was a shopping center on its own.

"It has," Draco agreed with a grin. He couldn't have been happier. The day after his confession to her, Hermione had agreed to date him, so as long as they took things slow. That was fine by him. She had accepted him and that was what counted.

"I wish we could make this trip longer," she said as she pulled him into a souvenir store so that they could look at the jewelry made of shells from the ocean and the little things that one usually bought for loved ones. "I want to get something for Ron and Harry."

Draco rolled his eyes but let go of her hand so that she could look around at her own perusal. He was content. He was on cloud nine. Draco's eyes narrowed as he wondered where all the girly thoughts were coming from. No good would come from watching _Desperate House Wives _and _Sabrina The Teenage Witch._ Hermione liked to make fun of him whenever she caught him watching those shows, but she always sat down with him to watch _Desperate House Wives._

Back to the point though, there was something off. He could still feel Hermione's apprehension at letting him in, of trusting him. She was scared and no amount of words were going to rush her into trusting him fully.

Something small and plain caught his eye near the cash register and he walked over for a closer look.

…

Hermione smiled as she looked at the t-shirts. She knew Ron would love one of ones with the funny looking caricatures, especially to use for bed. She would get him a size bigger than his. As for Harry, she didn't know what else to get him. He had always been a hard person to shop for. Maybe he would like one of those fancy lighters that were engraved with the name of their destination.

Harry was a smoker. Had been since before the war. She didn't like his habit on bit, but she couldn't throw stones when she had been drinking and getting into trouble at muggle pubs herself. And this being _after _the war. Those times seemed like a distant memory, even though the last time she had gotten wasted had happened only a few days ago.

Draco was helping her, as he always did, but it was somewhat different now. He wasn't helping her as a friend. He was helping as her significant other. She liked how that thought made her feel. They had gone out to dinner the past few nights, on dates.

Afterwards, they always ended up snogging the heck out of each other, but it never went past heavy petting and groping. He hadn't made the move for more and Hermione didn't try to make it more either. She liked how things were going now. Nice and slow.

She noticed Draco at the counter, buying something, but then she was intercepted by two dark haired girls who were squealing her name excitedly. Hermione's eyes widened when her eyes focused on Parvati and Padma Patil.

"Oh my goodness, Hermione!" Parvati yelled, pulling her out of the store so as not to disturb the business inside. "How have you been?"

"Who are you here with?" Padma asked as she spotted Draco's platinum hued hair. "Is that _Draco Malfoy_?"

"Draco Malfoy?" Parvati asked, peering into the store.

Hermione was a bit overwhelmed. Dear god, this was so _not_ happening. "Er… hi Padma, Parvati," she said uncomfortably.

"We had heard from Harry that you were out of town, but we never suspected that this is where you were and with who!" Parvati said.

"I, uh…… what are _you_ two doing here?" Hermione asked, bypassing the questions the twins were throwing at her.

"We're here covering an article on Hawaii's Minister of Magic's wife," said Padma.

"Really?" Hermione asked as she felt rather than saw, Draco at her back. "And they're staying here?"

Padma nodded, but her eyes were all for the tall man behind Hermione. "Hello, Draco," she said, a note of reprimand in her tone.

Hermione looked at her curiously and looked down when she felt Draco's fingers interlacing with hers. "Is there something wrong?" she asked inquisitively.

Parvati sighed in irritation and interrupted the terse silence. "Padma dated Draco about a year ago, but then he backed away and broke her heart."

"Parvati!" Padma gasped in mortification.

"Well it's the truth," Parvati said implacably. "Be careful Hermione, you don't know what to expect from a man like him."

Draco's eyes narrowed. "You have it all wrong," he said darkly, but before he could continue, a familiar couple approached them.

"Hermione! Draco!"

"Alice!" Hermione exclaimed with a smile. "It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you again, too," Alice said as she gave Hermione a friendly hug.

"You know the Minister of Magic's wife?" Parvati whispered loudly.

"Minister of Magic and his wife?" Hermione whispered, eyeing Alice and her husband. "No! I had absolutely no idea who they really were!"

"So you're magic folk," Adar said with a smile, shaking hands with them again. "It's nice to meet you again. I didn't catch your last name when last we saw each other."

"I'm Hermione Granger."

"And I'm Draco Malfoy."

"Malfoy and Granger. Yes, those are two last names that I am _very _familiar with. You, Hermione, turned down the position as Minister of Magic for the England wizarding government. And you Mister Malfoy have cut all ties with a fearsome father who got away from the ministry."

Parvati and Padma were staring at the two with awe. No one had really been privy to any of this information until now. Those tidbits would make great news for their magazine.

Alice smiled. "You would be Hermione Malfoy now, wouldn't you?"

"_What!"_ Parvati interrupted.

"You're married?" Padma asked softly.

Draco pursed his lips and nodded. "Yes, Hermione is my wife."

"Let's see the ring, then," Padma demanded, her eyes glassy.

Hermione looked at Draco in apprehension, but he merely took her hand and raised it to them. Even Hermione stared. There was a ring on her left hand in her ring finger. A ring she had absolutely no idea where it had come from. It was a gold band with diamonds embedded into the gold.

"Would you like to see our license too?" he bit out.

"Draco," Hermione admonished. "Remember we are in public and making a scene in front of the Minister and his wife."

"Do not worry, our timing was off. How about we have dinner tomorrow night?" Alice asked gently.

Hermione nodded. "I apologize for Draco's behavior. We will contact you later today, if you don't mind. I'm so sorry for this bad episode."

Alice smiled and took her hand. "We're staying in this hotel. In the honeymoon suite, just ask for Alice and Adar. We'll be awaiting your call."

"Have a good day," Adar said.

"Thank you, sir," Draco nodded. Then he turned back to the twins and Hermione. "If there's nothing else, Hermione and I would like to return to our beach house."

"Yes, I think we have a lot to talk about," Hermione said as she eyed the ring on her hand and then Draco's annoyed, gray eyes.

"Well, congratulations on your marriage," Parvati said, eyeing her sister silently.

"Yes," Padma said mechanically.

"Thank you," Draco said before kissing Hermione's temple, his eyes on Padma.

"Well, it was nice seeing you," Hermione said before pulling Draco with her towards the exit.

"Padma," Parvati murmured gently.

"Don't." Her twin warned, trying mightily to stop the tears from falling. "She has had all I ever wanted. Grades, Ron, Harry, recognition. Draco. Now he's her husband. I feel like the ground is about to open up and swallow me whole. And why did you have to tell Hermione that it was his fault that we broke up?"

"I'm sorry to say it Padma, but this is all your fault. You let him go, but I said what I said just to take a jab at him. Now Hermione will probably wring his neck and force him to tell her about you two. I'll bet anything that she doesn't know."

"Parvati," Padma said in exasperation. "It'll make me seem petty, even though it was you who said it. Come one, lets go, we have some interesting articles to write and one big exclusive for tomorrow's Sunday edition."

………………………………

Hermione eyed the ring on her finger and pulled it off, placing it on the glass nook table. She turned her eyes to Draco and let out a heavy sigh. "You want to tell me what that was all about, now?" she asked.

Draco just glanced at the ring and shrugged. "It's a transfigured souvenir ring. It's worth two muggle dollars," he said simply.

Hermione glared at him. It had been so long since Draco had gotten her angry that she had almost forgotten what it felt like. "You know what I mean! What was the deal with Padma?"

Draco looked uncomfortable and Hermione had a sneaking suspicion that she didn't want to hear about his involvement with Padma Patil. But Draco being Draco, was completely blunt with his explanation.

"Padma and I had a brief yet meaningful relationship two years ago. I asked her to marry me, but she said no. I broke it off immediately and completely and haven't been serious about anyone since," he said dryly.

Hermione looked at him incredulously and ran a hand through the long curls of her hair in exasperation. "So that little show you put on with me was only to make her jealous!"

"No, no!" he said quickly, sensing that everything was about to go all to hell. "I just wanted them all to see that I have moved on to someone so much better. I wasn't using you," he said, adding a pleading lilt to his tone.

Hermione eyed him angrily. "I don't think I believe you," she spat before marching towards the sliding door and towards the beach.

"Hermione!" Draco yelled in frustration, but she ignored him and kept walking towards the water. "That wasn't what it looked like. Do you want to know why I didn't keep on pursuing Padma? Because you came along!" he called.

That made Hermione stop in her tracks, but she was already waist-deep in water. She turned around to look at him and gave him a puzzled look. "What are you talking about?"

Draco sighed heavily. "I'm talking about you being the only person I have cared for these past two years. It's not love, don't take me wrong, but it's something close to it. You have no idea what it was to see you getting close to Krum and then seeing you hurt. I tried to help as much as I could, but it was hard."

Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat and felt her eyes sting with hot tears. "Wh—why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you were too into Krum. You didn't have eyes for anyone else. What good would it have been to tell you how I felt and not be reciprocated?"

She just stared but then forced herself to start moving. She walked out of the water and stood in front of Draco as he closed the distance. "You fancied me?" she asked softly.

He just nodded once. "First I didn't tell you because you were with someone else. Then, your feelings and your emotions were a complete mess thanks to that wanker. How was I going to tell you something of the sort?"

"Maybe it would've helped me out of the grave I was digging for myself!" she said impatiently.

"Maybe," he replied before stealing a kiss from her lips. Hermione didn't even try to pull away when he moved towards her again and kissed her deeply. "It's too late for the what ifs now."

Hermione nodded in agreement and was about to say something when she heard a horrifyingly familiar voice say her name.

"Hermi-own-niny?"

Hermione and Draco both turned to look at the intruder, and Draco felt his blood run cold when Hermione stiffened against him. "Viktor," she said in a whisper. Then she looked at his companion and her eyes drifted lower. Viktor was standing with a pretty girl with hair the color of gold, her belly swollen.

Viktor let go of Gabrielle Delacour's hand and took a step towards Hermione, but Draco forced him back, growling softly like a dangerous animal. "Stay away from her," he warned dangerously.

Hermione sighed softly. "Well Draco, I guess it's time for you to know why Viktor and I broke up. You _are _my husband, after all," she said with a small smile.

Draco indulged her and smiled back. It was about time he had a perfect reason to beat the daylights out of Krum. And he'd be sharing Hermione's pain. It was her ultimate act of trust.

He was more convinced than ever that she was the woman he needed in his life.

…

_No I can't let you go  
_

_You're a part of me now  
_

_Caught by the taste of your kiss  
_

_And I don't wanna know the reason why  
_

_I can't stay forever like this  
_

_Now I'm climbing the walls 'cause I miss you_

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

What did you guys think of my new work? This is a short story, I haven't settled yet if it will be a two part or three part fic, but it is going to be short. There may be some vague ideas, but they will probably be cleared in the next chapter. Let me know what you thought, I'll love to read your opinions.

I'm working as quickly as possible on my other fics and will soon have them out, I promise!

Byebye

!Joey!

P.S. I opened a forum for a discussion on Draco/Mione fics or anything having to do with them, feel free to post what you'd like there!


	2. Chapter 2

_Take my hand, take my life_

_Just don't take forever_

_And let me feel your pain kept inside_

_There's gotta be a way you and I together now_

_Yeah, it's coming to get me_

_You're under my skin_

………………………………………

**Climbing The Walls**

………………………………………

**Chapter Two**

………………………………………

"It is good to see you again," Viktor said to Hermione.

She found herself nodding numbly, trying not to erupt into a fit of tears and curses. "What are you two doing here?" she asked in a pleasant voice.

"We are vacationing before zee baby comes," said Gabrielle with a small smile.

Draco looked at all three, his eyes lingering on Hermione before turning back to Krum. "You heard Hermione, right? She married me and we are on our honeymoon."

He and Hermione could see Krum's lips tighten into a line and his dark eyes clouded with anger. "Well, I promised you an explanation, Draco," said Hermione.

"You don't have to. I understand." Draco entwined their fingers.

"No, no," said Hermione in a cynical voice. "I _want _to tell you."

"Herm-own-ninny," Viktor said softly.

"I'm over it, Viktor. I'm over it," she said quietly. She turned to Draco and motioned towards Gabrielle. "Gabrielle was Viktor's girlfriend some time before he and I got engaged. They broke up and he started dating me. He asked _me_ to marry him after a year of dating; I wanted to take things slow. I said yes.

"We were getting things ready for our big day, but then Gabrielle reappeared and with a snap of her fingers convinced Viktor to dump me and get back together with her. He came to me a month before the wedding and told me that he was sorry but that he couldn't marry me. That he loved me but he loved her more. I didn't scream at him or make a scene, but I felt at the moment that I wasn't good enough for him. That I wasn't pretty enough—"

Viktor tried to stop her words. "Herm-own-ninny, you _are_ beautiful—"

"Did I leave anything out?" Hermione cut him off, directing the question to the couple.

Draco frowned. Krum was stupider than he had assumed. "He broke my heart and left with someone else. I guess it was better than the whole clichéd deal of finding out that he had cheated on me with someone else or getting stood up at the altar," Hermione said bitterly.

Gabrielle's pretty face was twisted in anguish and sorrow, if it was genuine, Hermione didn't care. "'ermione, I am truly sorry, but Viktor is the man that I 'ave always loved. 'e loves me too," she said softly.

"Yes, I know that," Hermione snapped. "But it didn't diminish the hurt and heartbreak that I felt thanks to you. It doesn't give me back the time I spent crying because I believed that I wasn't good enough."

"Hermione," Draco started, not really wanting to see her burst into tears in front of Krum and his hussy.

Viktor looked as if he had just lost the Quidditch World Cup to Potter. "I'm so sorry," he said.

"I am too," Hermione replied. "Be happy with your family, Viktor. I will be with mine," she said, reaching up to touch Draco's cheek before walking off towards the beach house.

Draco's burning gray eyes fell on Krum and he saw Gabrielle place a hand on her husband's—boyfriend, or whatever he was—arm. "I don't ever want to see you speak or even look at her, understand me? You've hurt her too much and I will hurt _you _if you come near her again," he spat before following Hermione.

He found her swinging in the seat, tears trailing freely down her face. "Do you pity me? Those reasons didn't seem like a big deal, right? Well, they were for me. To have had Viktor leave me for a prettier woman, well, it was like a blow to the gut," she said dryly.

Draco kneeled in front of her and ran his fingers through her hair. "But she's not prettier than you."

She let out a bitter, hollow laugh. "Don't patronize me, Draco. I can't handle that at the moment."

"What makes you think that my words are a lie? I care for you and I see you for what you are. Compared to you, the French girl is nothing. You're smart and sassy, and absolutely beautiful. I'm a man, love. I can see it, and other males see it too, though I can't say I'm too happy about that."

Hermione managed a small, genuine smile. But then it fell. "I feel like drinking."

Draco's eyes narrowed. "I won't allow you to do that. I'm here to protect you from everything, even from yourself."

"Please give me some space, Draco. As much as I appreciate your support, I want to be alone," she said softly.

He nodded and stood, feeling powerless to help Hermione in any way. "I'll go set up our dinner with the Minister for tomorrow. I'll be back," he said before disapparating and leaving her alone.

Hermione let the sobs come then. She cried until there was nothing left to give, until she was reduced to hiccups and shudders. The sun went down and Draco didn't return right away. She felt ashamed over the way she had treated him. She was pushing him away and he didn't deserve it.

She stood and walked into her bedroom to change out of the sundress she had been wearing and into a pair of loose, drawstring, white pants and a tank top, just perfect for the humid weather.

She walked into Draco's room, looking around slowly, noticing that the room was identical to hers, but the furniture was placed differently and the decorations were less girly. She felt the tears prickle her eyes again, but was halted when there was a knock on one of the sliding doors outside. She slowly walked outside and pulled back the curtains to see who it was.

Her eyes widened when they fell on the least likely of people.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed angrily, after opening the sliding door.

"I wanted to see you," Viktor replied. "Without that man interfering and without Gabrielle to see us!"

"Go back to your wife, Viktor. You and I have nothing to say to each other," Hermione replied, turning to walk back into the house. She scowled when he followed her. "I don't remember inviting you in."

"How could you?"

"How could I what?" she sneered.

Viktor looked as if he were in pain. "How could you marry him? How could you forget so quickly about what we had? I remember you telling me many times that he was one of the men who has hurt you the most in your entire life!"

Hermione's eyes darkened in near hate. "No, that spot goes to you, now. You hurt me Viktor! Can't your little mind comprehend that!" she shrieked. "I loved you Viktor! I thought that you and I would be happy together! I—I thought that you loved me too," she said the last in a near whisper.

"I did love you, and I still do, but Gabrielle—"

"I don't want to know," Hermione said with a tired sigh. "I'm just so tired of hurting because of your rejection. I want to get over you and all the things you put me through. I want you to leave and never come back," she said, voice cracking.

Viktor shook his head stubbornly and took a few steps towards her. He cupped her face in his hands, holding onto her even as she struggled to get away from his grasp.

"Don't," she nearly sobbed as she felt his lips nearing hers.

"I'm sorry I hurt you," he murmured before his lips met hers.

It only took Hermione a few seconds to jerk back, but that was enough to make her realize that she didn't want Viktor's kisses. She wanted Draco's.

"I'm with someone else, can't you respect that?" she hissed angrily, shoving hard at Viktor's chest and making him stumble back.

"But you responded to my kiss," he said softly. "I know that you haff not forgotten me. A year of being together isn't easily forgotten."

Hermione smiled wryly. "Try ten years of knowing Draco. That outdoes our time completely. Leave Viktor. I don't want to see you again. If Draco comes and finds you here, he _will _hurt you."

Viktor sighed heavily. "I will be back, Herm-own-ninny. I love you," he said before walking out of the house.

Hermione cursed herself and her feelings. This was the second time Viktor walked out on her and succeeded in breaking her heart.

………………………………

Draco sighed heavily as he roamed around the hotel for a while. He had just set up a meeting with the Minister of Magic and his wife so that they could have dinner tomorrow. Maybe it was good for them to come clean about the whole fake marriage deal.

It wouldn't do him any good if he and Hermione were tagged liars, and what was worse, the media finding out that they had been deceiving the Minister and his wife.

He wondered what Hermione was doing. He hadn't left her in a very good state, and worry was eating at his gut. He wanted her with near desperation and he didn't know how she felt about him anymore. Not after she had seen Krum and had closed her feelings off again.

He sighed heavily and took out the box he had been carrying around with him since earlier today, when they had been interrupted by Padma and Parvati. He opened it and gazed down the black pearl, set on a silver ring.

For a moment, he had harbored the fantasy that maybe she would want to marry him. Give him a chance to make her happy. But then it had all gone to hell and she was back inside her fragile mind state that would succumb to her weakness.

There wasn't any alcohol in the beach house. But Draco had no doubt that Hermione was smart enough to conjure her own bottle or going off to buy it somewhere. He moved into an isolated place and then apparated into the beach house.

Everything was dark and quiet, except for…… he strained his hearing to maximum capacity and frowned when he heard Hermione's quiet sobs coming from his bedroom. He walked in and found her huddled under his sheets, her face buried in his pillow as she cried.

"Hermione?" he asked softly. He walked closer and then noticed that there was a full bottle of muggle bourbon sitting over the small table in the room. "You drank?" he asked, feeling disappointment surge through him.

She sat up and shook her head. "No. I wanted to, but I didn't," she murmured.

Draco walked over and sat down in front of her, his fingers moving over her pretty face, which was red from crying. "Are you okay?" Stupid question, yes, but he had to know if she really wasn't.

She shook her head and crawled onto his lap, seeking his warmth and his strong arms. "I'm not okay. Why is this happening to me? I feel like I hate Viktor, but then I saw him and—and—I don't know what I feel anymore. Then there's you," she said, pulling back to look him in the eyes. "You, who have treated me like a queen these past few days. I'm so confused," she murmured.

Draco didn't know what to say, but then, she leaned forward and pressed her lips urgently to his. Nothing like their snogs, pleasant and gentle. Now, she was a ball of nerves and franticness. Her hands wandered away from his chest and began to pull at his shirt.

"I need you. I need to feel safe in your arms, Draco," she whispered as she pressed open-mouthed kisses over his neck and chest.

"You're not okay, maybe we should wait—"

Her lips stopped his words, as well as the rest of her body as she pressed herself against him, enticing him, pushing his body to react naturally. Then he let go.

He let go of his doubts and fears and pushed the little velvet box with the ring into the back of his mind as he pulled at the drawstring of her pants and shoved her tank-top off of her in one pull.

The rest was like a dream. The feel of her, the smell of her, the sounds. Everything.

Then they both fell into a much needed slumber, Hermione curled contently against his body, and his wrapped possessively around hers.

………………………………

Hermione blinked awake as the tropical sun filtered into the room. She let out a long sigh that was half a purr and moved to sit up. She remembered precisely what had gone on and whose bedroom she was in.

How could she forget?

"Pleasant dreams?" he asked.

Hermione noticed that he wasn't in bed, but already dressed and sitting in the chair by the sliding door.

"No dreams at all," she said with a shy smile.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked quietly.

Hermione frowned. "Tell you what?" she asked, shifting and feeling the slight sting.

"That last night would have been your first," said Draco in a tone devoid of anything but confusion.

She pushed her hair away from her face and sighed. "There was really no time for us to discuss something like that. Everything happened so fast."

"Why did you lead me to believe that you had been with Zabini if in fact you were still a virgin?"

"Well," she snapped. "Put that way, it doesn't sound like something I would want to share with my roommate, who happened to be a man who had teased me for many years before about my lack of relationships!"

"That's not the point!" he snapped, rising from his seat.

"Why are you angry?" she asked. "Because you were my first?"

"I could've hurt you last night," he said as he sat down beside her. "I would've been more gentle had I known."

Hermione looked at him seriously. "I didn't want gentle," she whispered. "I wanted you to make me forget that my life is a complete an utter failure. I wanted to be with you too, isn't that enough?"

"You just wanted me to make you forget Krum," Draco whispered, feeling as if he had just been doused with zero-bellow water. He stood and made for the door.

"No! That's not it! Where are you going?" she asked, voice choked with tears.

"I need to be alone," Draco said dryly. "Be ready at eight, we have our dinner with the Minister and his wife then," he said before turning to go.

Hermione didn't even stop the tears as they began to fall. She hadn't expected things to turn out this way, especially not after losing her virginity to a man that was turning out to be the love of her life.

Why did these things have to happen to her?

………………………………………………

_8pm…_

Hermione looked herself over in the mirror and sighed heavily. Draco had barely been at the beach house the entire day and hadn't shared many words with her during the lunch they had shared.

He had left again and had returned with proper attire for their dinner with the minister. He was now getting ready, and she was already done with her hair and make-up and was in her beautiful dress.

Draco had bought her a beautiful gown the color of lavender and in the style of a Greek toga. The dress was sleeveless and showed a considerable amount of cleavage. It cinched her waist perfectly and fell in a cascade of lavender silk and accentuated by silver cuffs over the material above her breasts. She felt a bit weird with the fact that from her shoulder blades down, there was a sort of cape trailing behind her. Her shoes were a pair of sparkling strappy heels and she had charmed her hair straight and with the tips curling slightly. That hadn't been an easy job either.

There was a knock at her door and she jumped. "Are you ready?" Draco asked.

"I'll be out in a minute," she replied, looking herself off over. Her eyes had a bit of glitter in the eye shadow and her lips were pink and plump thanks to the lip gloss. She had no jewelry, so her neck was bare as were her wrists.

She looked down at the fake ring she had been wearing since Draco charmed it to look real and pulled it off, tears stinging her eyes as she placed it over the vanity. She fanned herself and forced them down. She didn't want to ruin her make-up or look puffy eyed for this dinner.

She checked herself over once more and grabbed her handbag, where she was hiding her wand and other little knick-knacks women needed when on an important date or dinner. Hermione snorted to herself. She hadn't been on many dates either way.

She opened her door and walked out towards the living room, her eyes captured by the sight in front of her. Draco was in a black suit with a black shirt and a tie the same color as her dress, lavender. His hair was swept back, but not slicked to his head. The suit looked expensive, maybe even Italian, and it was cut to outline Draco's fine body perfectly.

He turned to look at her and seemed to have the same reaction as hers. He stared and looked her up and down, his eyes a bit glazed over. Hermione cleared her throat and walked over to him.

"Shall we go?" she asked curtly.

The tone in her voice seemed to snap him out of it and he frowned slightly as he offered his hand. She took it hesitantly, feeling her breath hitch when his fingers slid over her palm and wrapped around hers. Then he had apparated them to a restaurant. A wizarding restaurant.

Hermione looked around curiously. It was very obviously fancy and expensive. Draco pulled her along, placing her arm around his. The Minister and his wife were just arriving as well.

"Hermione! Draco!" Alice said happily, pulling her into a hug and patting Draco on the shoulder. "It's so good to see you both again. Hermione, you look beautiful."

"Thank you Alice," Hermione said with a genuine smile before moving on to say hello to the Minister.

"Please have a seat," he said, motioning them to the chairs. "I hope you don't mind, we ordered a bottle of the best wine."

Draco looked at Hermione, but she just nodded and kept her eyes on the other couple. Her eyes then looked around and she found a band playing classical music and a few couples on a dance floor.

They had a pleasant time and conversation over a delicious dinner, but Hermione found that she wasn't enjoying herself. Draco's eyes had been on her most of the night, but he hadn't really spoken to her directly. They were interrupted by someone who made Hermione's blood simmer in her veins.

"I hope you are having a enjoyable dinner, and I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if I could steal Draco away for a dance?" Padma Patil asked.

Hermione's smile was forced but she nodded. "There's no need to ask me for permission. It's up to him if he wants to dance with you or not," she said, a little cynicism creeping into her tone.

Draco looked at her closely and then stood without a word, guiding Padma towards the dance floor. Alice looked at Hermione and frowned. She had sensed an awful lot of tension between the two the entire night.

"Are you all right?" she asked Hermione.

Hermione nodded stiffly. "I'm fine. Draco and I just had our first real spat as a married couple," she said nonchalantly.

Alice nodded sympathetically. "Have you talked it out?"

"No," Hermione said with a shake of her head. "He refuses to speak to me directly," she replied, her demeanor, as well as her voice, breaking. "I'm sorry, I need to use the ladies room. Please excuse me," she said as she stood and quickly walked towards the restrooms.

Once inside, she couldn't hold back her tears and she grabbed an offered towel to clean away her running mascara. She forced herself back to normal and redid her make-up again. She stepped out a few minutes later, and Draco was sitting at their table again, his eyes on her.

He looked anxious as he watched her, as if he wanted to say something to her but couldn't bring himself to say it. She sat down and stiffened when he reached for her hand. He entwined their fingers together and rubbed his thumb over the skin between her thumb and pointer finger. She swallowed hard and pulled her hand from his without alerting the other people at the table.

He leaned into her ear. "What's wrong now?" he asked angrily.

Hermione shot him a glare and turned back to Alice who had noticed that something was going on. "Hermione dear, where is your ring?" she asked.

The brown haired witch looked at her naked fingers and frowned. "I must have forgotten it back at the beach house after I took a shower," she replied, trying to sound truthful.

"Really?" asked Draco sourly.

"Maybe we should call it a night," Adar said.

"We had a wonderful evening, you two are the most intelligent people I have ever had the privilege of meeting," Alice said as they stood.

"The check," she said as Alice pulled her along.

"Nonsense, we invited you to dine with us, so we will take care of it," said the Minister.

"Thank you, sir," Draco said as they walked out.

"When will you be leaving?" Alice asked Hermione as they walked arm in arm.

"I think in a day or two," Hermione replied with a small shrug. "I don't really know."

"Well, Adar and I have been thinking of taking a vacation in England towards Christmas and we don't know anyone there," Alice said.

"Oh, we would be delighted to show you around. Draco and I live in a flat, but we can find a way to accommodate you there," she said brightly.

Alice smiled. "No dear, we'll stay at a hotel, we wouldn't want to impose. But we would sure love to see you two again and maybe have you show us the sights and places."

"I would really enjoy that," said Hermione as they made it to the apparating point. "You can send us an owl to let us know if you are coming or not and we will gladly show you around."

"Thank you, Hermione." Alice then leaned over and whispered into her ear. "Be patient, love. The look in that man's eyes is all love and love towards you. Marriage will never be easy. It's like parenting, you can't know everything because you learn as you grow with your child. Marriage is the same. You grow with your partner," she said softly.

Hermione nodded and smiled, appreciating the advice. She hugged the woman and thanked her for her words. Then they said their goodbyes and apparated back to the beach house.

As soon as they arrive, the first words out of Draco's mouth were, "You took off your ring?"

Hermione sat down and calmly took off her heels. "You're talking to me now?" she asked waspishly.

"Why?" he asked as he pulled off his tie with hear violence.

"Does the ring really mean anything? Putting aside its value, does it signify anything between us?" she snapped, anger filling her once again. "Or is it just a front to keep up this fake marriage deal?"

"I thought it was beginning to mean something between us, but I don't know what to think anymore. I don't really know what it is that you want. I don't know what you think of having seen Krum again, or about me being your first, or what it is that you want in life!"

"Maybe if you had stuck around all day you would know!" she yelled angrily. Draco blinked at her but said nothing. "You know, normally when a man knows he was the first in a woman's life, he is happy about it. You treated me as if I had kept a dirty secret from you," she whispered.

"Hermione," Draco started, feeling ashamed of himself.

"Don't, Draco," she whispered before marching back into her room.

………………………………………

"What's this called again?"

"A Chivas on the Rocks," the bartender replied, eyeing Draco strangely before getting back to cleaning the bar with a damp towel.

Draco's eyebrows forked as he pondered the strange name. Though he was partial to firewhiskey, this drink he had tried was turning out quite good. He sighed heavily and wondered what Hermione was doing at the moment.

His mind was going over the words she had said to him. He didn't really know why he had been so angry with her after finding that he had been the first man in her life. Maybe it had been because she hadn't even bothered to tell him that fact before they had slept together.

Maybe she had for him to leave so that she could rush off to use a locating spell so that she could see Krum again, he thought sourly. The disgusted frown on his face slowly melted and he was left feeling ashamed of himself.

He valued Hermione more than anyone and he knew that she was a loyal person who would never do anything of the sort. She was a Gryffindor through and through. And she had been pure before he had laid his hands on her. Krum had never had her.

"Why so lonely?"

Draco looked up from the swirling liquid in front of him and settled his gaze on his least favorite person at the moment. "What do you want, Padma? Are you following me around now?"

"No. I just happened to be itching for a drink and I came here. Don't be so cold with me, Draco. I'm sorry that I let you go," she said softly. Her dark eyes looked around the bar then settled back on his face. "Where's your wife?"

Draco narrowed his eyes slightly. "Back at the beach house."

"Newlywed troubles?" Padma asked as she flipped her long hair over her shoulder.

"I don't think that's any of your business," he said flatly, ignoring the look the bartender was shooting him. It seemed that he was trying to tell him that Draco was an idiot for ignoring such a pretty woman. "Don't look at me like that," he muttered, "I'm a married man."

The bartender then gave him a look of respect and poured him another drink. "On the house," he said.

"Thanks."

"Draco," Padma started, "why did you marry Hermione?"

He sighed and nearly downed his entire drink in one swig. "Because she's amazing," he said softly. "She's everything I have ever wanted in a woman. Strength, kindness, passion, intelligence……"

Padma bit her trembling lip and let out a long sigh. "Why didn't you accept my terms?"

"Because I wanted everything or nothing. I cared for you Padma, but you turned me down and I'll admit that it hurt and that it was a blow to my pride, but I forced myself to move on. Then Granger came along," he said with a smirk.

"You moved in with her two years ago," said Padma darkly. "Right after we broke up."

Draco nodded. "She was exactly what I needed to get over you. Hermione is the type of woman that you have to give your undivided attention to. She requires complete concentration, wit, and patience. God, I need so much patience to deal with her," he muttered into his drink.

"You sound frustrated," Padma mused.

Draco scowled. "I am."

Padma sighed heavily. "Then why are you with her if she frustrates you?"

"Because…… because I…… _love her_," Draco said in dawning realization. He stood suddenly and pulled out a twenty and placed it on the table. "Keep the change."

"Thanks man, where are you going?" the bartender asked.

"Home. I'm going home," said Draco as he flashed Padma a genuine smile and began to walk away. Before he left completely though, he turned and looked at her. "Oh, and Padma. All that I have said to you in this conversation, I expect it to stay off the record," he said before turning and walking off. He was going to beg for her forgiveness if necessary.

Once he was out of muggle view he apparated back to the beach house just in time to dive behind a bush of island flowers when he saw Krum and heard Hermione nearly screeching out her words.

"I don't want to see you, Viktor!"

Just those words were enough to send him into a fit of red rage and he wanted nothing more than to tear Krum apart. Instead, he stayed there and listened to their conversation.

"You haff to understand Herm-own-ninny!" he said in exasperation. "I love you too. But I cannot leave Gabby anymore. She is having my baby and I cannot do anything now!"

"I told you I don't care anymore! I don't want you near me, Viktor. You hurt me too much and I would never take you back even if you left Gabrielle for me. Don't you understand how painful it was to me? I wouldn't be able to bear her feeling the same things I felt, even if she was the cause of my pain!" Hermione yelled, red-faced and absolutely fuming mad.

But that wasn't the end of her rant. "What kind of a man does that? We're not toys Viktor! She's having your baby for Merlin's sake!" she spat. "Get out of my face, and out of my life. I don't want to see you and I don't want to hear you. I told you that I was married."

"But you do not love him!" Viktor yelled finally, grabbing her forearms and pulling her rigid body towards his.

"Who says I don't!" she screamed into his face. This froze Viktor, but he recovered quickly. He suddenly leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers as Hermione struggled in his grasp.

Draco had had enough, he moved away from the bushes and ran towards Hermione and Krum, his intent was to break the other man's nose. But then Hermione shoved him away and sent her fist to Krum's face, or more accurately, his eye; she still hadn't seen Draco because her back was to him.

"I love him! I love Draco and you mean nothing, _nothing_, to me!" she screamed with all her might. _"I love Draco Malfoy!"_ she screamed into the night.

"A little louder, love. I don't think the entire Island heard you there," Draco drawled from behind her.

She whirled around, eyes wide and cheeks red as she breathed his name. Finally her eyes narrowed. "See, had you been here, I wouldn't have had to yell it out at the top of my lungs. How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," he ground out as Krum stood. Then Draco attacked. He rammed his fist into Krum's face and then sent his knee into his stomach. "I told you to stay away from her, that I would hurt you if you even looked at her again!" Draco snarled, kicking Krum in the gut and back and wherever he could until Hermione stopped him.

"Stop it! Stop it please!" she said urgently. "I don't care about him anymore, Draco," she said as she shook him. "I care about you. I love _you_."

That stopped him completely. "Get away from here now, Krum. Don't ever come near Hermione again or I _will _kill you," Draco spat before wrapping his arm around Hermione's shoulder and pulling her into the beach house.

Once they were inside the house, Hermione turned to Draco and threw herself into his arms, her lips on his. Draco staggered slightly but then righted them, answering Hermione's kiss eagerly. They stayed that way for a long moment until she pulled away with a smack of lips. She cupped Draco's face with both hands. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Draco's brows forked in confusion. "For what?"

"For pushing you away. For realizing that I wasn't giving you a full chance to be with me. What I went through with _him _made me wary to trust anyone else with my heart. But then I realized that you've been there through it all and you've had my trust from the moment you saw me as a friend," she said quietly.

Draco smiled and kissed her again, enjoying the way she pressed herself against him. "What took you so long to come back?" she asked against his lips.

"I was giving you space and realizing that you mean so much to me." He hesitated before saying his next words. "I saw Padma at the hotel bar."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Was she following you or something?"

Draco smirked inwardly. "Jealous?" he asked, lips moving over her jaw and down her neck.

"Very," she murmured against his ear. "I don't want any women ogling you. You're mine, Draco Malfoy," she said against his neck.

"You see? I told you possessiveness was a good quality. I love that in _my woman_."

Hermione's eyes slid open at his words. "I meant what I said to Viktor," she said as her arms wrapped around his shoulders, not looking at him.

She felt his arms tighten around her waist. "Look at me," he ordered lightly.

She did and felt a flush creep over her neck and face at the feral gleam in his eyes.

"I told Padma the same thing. She asked me why I was with you, why—if you frustrated me so much—did I put up with you, and then I realized it. I love you and everything about you. Your stubbornness, your kindness, your loyalty, your inner beauty as well as the outer; everything!" he exclaimed before kissing her gently.

Hermione smiled in happiness and wondered God had decided to bless her after months and months of mistakes. "Seeing Viktor and Gabrielle hurt me in the beginning, but then I realized that that was what I needed. Now all I have is a sense of closure and I can honestly say that I don't care for him anymore. My heart belongs to you."

Draco felt an overwhelming sort of elation at her words, and all he could do was sweep her into his arms and hug her tightly. He never wanted to let her go. At that moment, he knew that there was a future for him and Hermione. Together.

"I'm sorry, love. For being such a fool and not appreciating the gift you gave me. I think I was a bit shell-shocked when I saw that I had been your first lover and hadn't even known. I was angry at myself and at you because I hurt you, but looking past that, I saw that you have given me your purity and your innocence and I value that more than any jewel or fortune," he said as he kissed her temple.

Hermione smiled and hugged him tightly, but frowned when he started to push her away. "Come with me," he said, pulling her along towards the beach.

She followed in confusion, wondering what he was up to. "Draco, what are you—?"

"Ssshhh," he said as they reached the water and Draco pulled off his shoes and socks, smiling when he noticed that she was still in her gown and without her shoes. He grabbed her hand again and pulled her into the water, the waves catching on the expensive material of her dress.

Draco leaned forward and kissed her again before falling to one knee and pulling out the little black box from his pocket.

"Granger, will you marry me?" he asked with a smirk.

Hermione stared down at the ring and felt tears pool in her eyes. She ran a careful finger over the pearl and the silver and smiled even as a sob caught in her throat. She looked into those deep gray eyes and nodded.

"Of course I will," she murmured. "You mean the world to me."

"And you me," Draco replied as he took the ring and slipped it onto her finger. "Don't go losing this one because it's real."

Hermione laughed and wrapped her arms around his slim waist, burying her face against his chest. "You do know that all of London will have found out about our 'marriage' by now," she said happily.

Draco nodded. "I know. We might as well give them something else to talk about and get married here."

She looked up at him with wide, expressive, brown eyes. "Are you serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" asked Draco seriously. "I want you, and I want all of you as soon as possible."

Hermione smiled shyly and leaned up to kiss him. "I'd love that, but if I get married without Harry and Ron, they'll kill me."

"I will love to see Weasley's face when he finds out that you're all mine. He threatened me about any funny business while I brought you here. Wait till he finds out that I shagged you silly and that we're going to be married."

Hermione snorted softly and laid the side of her face over his heart as he held her in a gentle embrace, his arms around her waist.

"It took us this long to get to this point," she stated, watching the full moon in the sky and the waves all around them.

"It was like climbing over walls of prejudice, hate, and fear," he said, kissing the top of her head.

She smiled and ran her hands up and down his back. "But we did it."

"Yes we did," Draco said before pulling her into a kiss.

…

_It's an illusion how can I feel this way_

_(If I can't have you)_

_It's an illusion nothing is real this way_

_(If I can't have you)_

…

_No I can't let you go  
_

_You're a part of me now  
_

_Caught by the taste of your kiss  
_

_And I don't wanna know the reason why  
_

_I can't stay forever like this  
_

_Now I'm climbing the walls 'cause I miss you_

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

Yeah! How's that for an ending? I know I said that it would be three, but unless you guys want me to write out their wedding, I will leave it here. You take a vote. If you want the wedding, and Harry and Ron's reactions, tell me. If you thought that this was a perfect ending, let me know too. If there are errors and typos, let me know. Sometimes I don't see them and just keep going, or I contradict myself in some places on the same sentence, but I usually check the story over in a few days to correct it.

I really enjoyed writing this fic, it was Drama, Angst, and humor rolled into a short story, and it was so lighthearted. Go ahead and let me know what you thought and I hope its all positive things! Thanks for the great reviews on the first chapter, by the way.

Byebye

!Joey!


	3. Chapter 3

_I can't let you go no_

_And I don't wanna know the reason why_

_I can't stay forever like this_

_Now I'm climbing the walls 'cause I miss you_

……………………………………

**Climbing The Walls**

……………………………………

**Chapter Three**

……………………………………

Hermione smiled secretively to herself and watched Draco as he slept. He had long, dark lashes that stood out against the pale skin of his face, and he looked so peaceful. She had pushed his feathery hair away from his face to look at him better and found that she was more in love with him now than ever.

He looked so young and peaceful with no worries at all. Though his features were still pointy and thin, it wasn't ruined by the scowl or the sneer that had been his best friend's in school, aside from Crabbe and Goyle, that is.

She couldn't believe that they were getting married. She would have wanted to get married in white, and Draco had told her that she still could, that no one had to know that Hogwarts' golden girl was no longer _untouched._

But it wouldn't be honest. Draco's argument was that she was marrying the first man she had ever been with intimately, so she could wear white if she wanted.

Hermione sat up and ran a hand over his fingers. Those hands had felt so heavenly traveling over her body. She had never thought that being with a man could have been so amazing. Maybe it was just that she was so in love with Draco that she blew everything out of proportion, but she really doubted it, he was just that incredible.

The truth about her relationship with Blaise Zabini was that she had never once let him touch her that way. Draco had thought that he had, but nothing had ever happened.

Zabini just so happened to be her shrink. Yes, _shrink._

He was one of the first ever wizards with actual certification as a psychologist and who worked with wizards and witches. Had it not been for Blaise, Hermione feared that she would have been a full blown alcoholic. He had always been there to help her vent out her sadness and frustration and had even been a good friend when he had agreed to see her at her home.

She wondered what Blaise what make of her mind now that she was engaged and in love with her childhood tormentor. Hermione giggled slightly and slapped a hand over her mouth when Draco shifted slightly in his sleep and reached for her. She smiled when his arm curled around her waist and he went back to deep slumber.

Hermione's head snapped up when she heard noises in the living room. Mortification filled her when she heard the familiar voices of……

She shrieked like a banshee when the door opened and she had barely enough time to pull up the sheet over her nude upper body.

At her scream, Draco's eyes snapped open and he jumped off, nearly falling off of the bed in the process when the sheets tangled around his legs. "What? What's wrong?" he asked her.

Hermione's eyes were riveted to the door where Harry and Ron stood just inside the room. Their eyes were wide and horrified as they took in the both of them, half nude, and in bed.

"Ron," Hermione started when he took a step forward.

"Hermione…… Malfoy—ugh, ugh," he choked. Ron looked sick.

"Want to tell us what's going on? We came to ask you about this," said Harry as he handed Hermione three different magazines, two newspapers, and other tabloids. The heading on the main one was:

**Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy Secretly Elope In Hawaii!**

"Where did the media get this kind of rubbish from?" Ron snapped. "Or is it not rubbish? From what I am seeing, I don't know what to think."

"Ron, I—I, er," Hermione was at a loss on what to say. On one hand, if she lied to Harry and Ron, they would never forgive her. But on the other, if she told them that she and Draco weren't married yet, they would go ballistic, especially because of the current state of undress she and Draco were in at the moment.

"We're engaged," said Draco dryly. "That's all you need to know!"

Hermione saw Ron's reaction before anyone else, and she just tugged the sheet around her and jumped up to stand in front of Draco for two reasons. A, she wanted to protect him from Ron—and he wouldn't attack while she was in the way—and B, Draco was stark naked.

Harry was holding onto Ron as he struggled to get free. "I warned you about taking advantage of her!" the red-head yelled. "You took advantage of her depression, you sneaky bastard! We trusted you to keep her safe!"

"But he did keep me safe! He saved me from myself and from… from Viktor. We saw him a few days ago," she muttered.

Ron stopped struggling and Harry released him carefully. "Krum is here, on this island?" he asked in a dangerously soft voice.

All three stared at the directional change of Ronald Weasley's anger.

"I'll kill him!" Ron snarled, even angrier than before.

"Ron!" Hermione yelled, getting his attention before he attempted to go stomping after Krum. "I don't care about Krum, Draco and I are getting married!" she yelled.

Harry looked at Draco and then at her and promptly broke into a wide smile. "Are you really?" he asked.

Hermione nodded happily and Harry wrapped her in a hug. "Put me down, Harry," she said patting his shoulder.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because we're naked," Draco said coolly.

"Because I was blocking him from flashing you two," Hermione said with a laugh. Harry set her down in a second, turning away as she backed towards Draco and stood in front of him again.

"Can we at least get some clothes on before we talk?" Hermione asked meekly. Ron glared at her and at Draco before stomping out of the room while Harry shrugged and waked out after him.

Hermione turned to Draco and grinned nervously. "I feel like my parents just walked in on us," she said quietly.

Draco wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tight. "They'll understand," he murmured into her hair. "If they love you even a fraction of what you say they do, they will understand."

Hermione smiled and pressed a kiss to Draco's collarbone. "Let's take a quick shower before going into the lion's den," she said as she pulled him into the bathroom.

"How long do you think they're willing to wait?" Draco asked vevilishly.

Hermione laughed at his question and turned on the shower. "I don't know, but I reckon that our _shower_ will have to be quick," she said before dropping the sheet.

Draco's pale eyes traveled down her body before a smirk slipped onto his lips. "Oh, I'll make it quick," he said before hauling her into the water.

………………………………

Harry and Ron looked up when they both walked into the living room, hair still damp and dressed in clean clothes. Hermione was in a pair of short shorts and a t-shirt, while Draco was in a muscle shirt and loose cotton pants.

Harry stood and walked over to give her a proper hug. "Congratulations, Mione. Ron and I had a moment to talk while you, _ahem_, while you took a shower. I saw the look on your face when you said that you were getting married with your dear old Malfoy here, and I must admit that I haven't seen that look on your face for a long time."

"Neither have I," Ron intoned quietly.

"So you forgive me for—for that?" she asked as she waved a hand towards the bedroom.

Ron made a gagging noise. "Not unless you promise to name your first son Ronald."

It was Draco's turn to make a disgusted noise while Hermione mock-glared at him. "I think we're getting ahead of ourselves," she said with a grin, running over to wrap her arms around the volatile red-head.

"That's my stipulation, take it or leave it," Ron whispered against her shoulder as he gave her another squeeze.

"We'll think about it," Draco said, sarcasm dripping from his every word.

"So you guys are happy for me?" Hermione asked as she let go of her friend and looked at him and Harry.

"How could we not be? If Malfoy is the man who brings that smile to your face and that makes your eyes shine with happiness. All we want to know now is when the wedding is going to be," Ron said.

Hermione smiled nervously. "We're staying another week, so it'll be in about five days," she said.

"Five days?" Harry echoed.

She nodded. "That'll give us enough time to get some small details arranged. Such as where we're going to have the ceremony, who will perform it, what Draco and I will wear……"

"You're not going to invite anyone?" asked Ron.

"Well, the two most important people in my life are here, and my parents are vacationing in Greece. I don't want to interrupt their well earned vacation. Besides, it'll be a surprise for them when they come back," she said as they moved into the kitchen for coffee.

"Can I at least get Ginny to come?" Harry asked.

"And I would really like Lav to be here too," Ron put in.

"They _could_ help you in choosing your dress," Draco said as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Hermione grinned happily. "Fine, but just them. I don't want anyone else to know that we're not really married," she said as she rubbed his arms.

"Get a room," Ron said.

"We were in a room, but you two interrupted our vacation," Draco drawled.

"You know, vacation entitles more than just seeing the inside of your bedroom," Harry said with a smirk.

Hermione blushed and buried her face against Draco's chest. "How about we go out for breakfast?" she asked.

"Sounds good," Draco said as they abandoned the coffee machine after turning it off and made towards the door.

"Discovered Hermione's lack of cooking prowess have you?" Harry asked with a smirk. He dodged the hand aimed at his head.

"I discovered that two years ago, but I put up with it because she tried," Draco replied, wincing when the slap hit him in the back of the head.

"How sweet," Ron said with a laugh. "So sweet I feel like throwing up."

"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione scolded. "Don't see things like that. I know that my cooking is by the far the worse, but I didn't recall yours being any better. I can't help but wonder what poor Lavender has to go through every time you cook dinner for her."

"She takes it and doesn't complain," said Ron smugly.

"At least not to you," said Hermione under her breath. Draco snickered and entwined their hands as they walked down the beach.

Things were turning out better than they had expected.

………………………………

"That's too much lip-gloss," Ginny Weasley stated, swatting at Lavender Brown's hand.

"No it's not. Besides, Draco is going to eat it up anyways," she said as she recapped the little tube.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Could you two stop bickering? I need to get into my dress and we're going to be late if you add anything else to my bloody make-up."

"There's no need to be so rude about it," Lavender said with a slight sniff, throwing her long curled hair over her shoulder.

"You're right. I'm sorry. It's just that I'm so nervous and I have no idea why. Draco has been so wonderful with me and I know that he wants this as much as I, but I'm just so…… jittery," Hermione said quietly.

"Hermione," Ginny started in a soft voice, "every woman gets nervous on such an important day. Even if you aren't inviting anyone to it aside from us. This day will constitute as the start of a new life for both you and Draco."

Hermione's eyes watered and both girls went into a panic. "Don't cry! You'll ruin your make-up!" Lavender squealed.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Hermione said urgently, fanning at her eyes as Ginny dabbed them gently with a tissue. "Are we safe?" asked Hermione.

Ginny nodded and all three burst out laughing. "Come on, let's get you into that beautiful dress," Ginny said as they began to carefully take out the dress from its coverings.

……………………………

"You're not nervous at all?"

Draco raised his gray eyes and glanced at Weasel and Potty. "Should I be?"

Harry shrugged. "I know I would be. But maybe that's just me."

"You're kidding. You, who faced off with the great Lord Voldy-snort, would be afraid to walk down the isle with the girl Weasley?" Draco asked with a smirk.

"She has a name, you know," Harry said peevishly.

"Yes, I know," said Draco coolly. "But you would do it, wouldn't you?"

"Hey, if Ron did it Lavender, why wouldn't I be able to?" asked Harry.

"If I remember correctly, Weasley there nearly fainted before walking down the isle towards his bride. And before that, he was hyperventilating in the back room as we waited for him to walk to his doom," Draco said with a loud snigger.

Ron turned red in embarrassment when he remembered that. "But I did it because I loved and still love Lavender."

"There's your answer, Potter," said Draco carelessly, getting up to pull on his crisp, cream colored, new dress shirt over the muscle shirt her had been lounging in. He wouldn't wear a traditional tux for three reasons.

One, the weather was too bloody hot.

Two, he wanted to go for something that wasn't a clichéd black and white suit.

Three, nothing about his relationship with Hermione was conventional. They were eloping with only four friends there and a Hawaiian ministry official who would be performing the ceremony.

He smirked to himself as he turned his back to the other men and tucked his shirt into his pants of the same cream color. The entire suit was of that color, so he'd have to watch out and take care of it more than his usual clothing. The shirt would remain with the first three buttons undone, and he would wear a pair of suspenders more for show than for needing them, with a matching suit coat above. Even his shoes matched him.

"We should go. Lav told me that they weren't coming out until we're gone," said Ron as he stood too and pulled on a black vest over his white dress shirt.

"You have the rings?" Draco asked Potter.

He patted his pocket and nodded. "Right here," he said as he pulled on a navy blue coat over his white dress shirt, no tie and the first few buttons undone too.

"All right, let's go," Draco said as they apparated to the place where the ceremony would be held.

………………………………

"We're not late, are we?" Hermione asked as she, Lavender, and Ginny walked through the gardens and gardens of beautiful and wild flowers.

"This place is beautiful," Ginny said in awe.

"Draco and I chose it a few days ago," Hermione said with a smile. "I loved it here and he told me that I could want whatever I wanted."

"How lovely," Lavender crooned. "The view is spectacular," she said as they walked towards a vast cliff that overlooked the beach from high above.

Hermione stopped when she spotted Draco standing there, waiting for her. He looked so handsome in his suit and wind ruffled hair. He spotted her too and stared, his mouth opening slightly.

"Close your mouth, Malfoy. I've heard that the flies on this island are way bigger than any others," said Ron with a chuckle.

But Draco ignored him. His attention was all on Hermione as she approached, clad in a beautiful dress the color of his suit. The material was silky and see through, but not indecent since it was made up of many layers.

The skirt hugged her hips and flared out around her like a bell, the top of it wrapped around her chest and back, literally, tying off behind her neck like a halter top and trailing behind her in long strands. The cut and wrap of the dress also left a considerable amount of her waist bare. Her hair was in fat curls piled atop her head and tumbling over a crown of red tropical flowers, and her make-up had been made to soften her face more and add emphasis on her honey colored eyes.

She stopped in front of him and smiled shyly. "I'm not late, am I?" she asked softly.

"No," said Draco. "Even if you had been, you were worth waiting for," he said quietly.

Hermione had a faint notion that he wasn't really referring to the wait now, but the wait of her finally seeing him as a man and not a friend. She smiled and leaned up to press a kiss to his lips.

"Shall we begin?" the official asked with a smile.

Draco nodded and took Hermione's hand in his, pressing a kiss to her knuckles when she squeezed his hand. "We're ready," he said, feeling jittery flutters in his stomach at the prospect of Hermione being his wife.

"We are gathered her today in a small group of friends and loved ones to witness these two souls joining together in matrimony, magic, and life."

Through most of the ceremony, Hermione's attention was all on Draco, even as they said their vows, she tried desperately to hear past the roaring of her heart over the fact that she was marrying Draco and had never felt happier in her entire life.

"Please take this ring as a sign of my love and devotion to you, and only you," he said. "It took me such a long time to see you. But it only took me a short while after that to fall in love with you," he said as he slipped onto her finger a silver band with a single diamond put into it.

Hermione felt her eyes tear up and forced them down as she spoke her words to him, taking the matching, masculine ring for him. "Please take this ring as my proof of love and complete fidelity to you. You who brought a smile back to my life, who made me feel better when I was down. You who kept your feelings a secret out of consideration for me. I knew that there was good in you, and you had only to show it a little to prove that I was right and that there was a man there worth loving. I love you, too. Thank you for loving me the way that you do," she said, choking on a sob, slipping the ring onto his finger.

"By the power handed to my from the ministry of magic, I now pronounce you husband and wife," the official said as he tapped their rings with his wand and sealed their marriage with an unbreakable charm. It was what they had chosen to do. "You may kiss your bride," he said with a smile.

Hermione looked at her friends and then turned to Draco with a nervous grin. He merely smirked and leaned down to capture her lips in a kiss that was more about letting her feel his feelings, than for show.

He pulled away and his eyes were shinning with unfathomable happiness.

"I'll love you for the rest of my life," he murmured.

"That's good," she stated with a nervous giggled. "But now you're going to have to put up with my incessant nagging about keeping the flat clean."

"I do that already," Draco said with a grin.

Hermione laughed and they turned to thank the official before he left. Then they walked towards their friends who were cheering.

"That was beautiful!" Lavender sobbed as she hugged Hermione tightly.

"Congratulations," Ginny said right after.

Then Ron and Harry engulfed her into a three-way hug. "Congratulations, Mione. We hope only the best for you," Ron said.

"But if he ever makes you cry, just call us and we'll be there to smash his face in," Harry said with a laugh.

"Thanks, both of you. I know that marriage will in no means be easy, but I just know that he'll make me happy with every ounce of his energy," she said as she looked at Draco.

He smiled indulgently and pulled her into his arms for another kiss.

"Now that we're all gathered for such a happy celebration," Harry started, turning to Ginny. "There's something that I want to ask Ginny."

"Do you think she'll say yes?" Draco murmured into Hermione's ear softly.

"Of course she will. She's been in love with him for ages," she said as she leaned back against his chest, watching with a giddy smile as Harry took Ginny's hand and got down on one knee.

"It took them as long as us to get to this point," Draco said before pressing a kiss to her neck.

Hermione nodded and sighed. "But wasn't it really worth it?"

"More than worth it," Draco replied.

**THE END**

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Did you guys enjoy that? I really enjoyed how I left off the last chapter, but this was so worth it. The whole fluffy thing just made me happy. I hope everyone enjoys it and I'll see you soon with the rest of the fics!

Byebye

!Joey!


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